Combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser



Oct. 1, 1963 w. c. FERRELL comammou OUTBOARD RUNABOUT mu CABIN cauxsma 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed June 15, 1962 J3 Z INVENTOR v hill/A11 12 25 ATTORNEYS Oct. 1, 1963 w. c. FERRELL 3,

COMBINATION OUTBOARD RUNABOUT AND CABIN CRUISER Filed June 13, 1962 I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 $4 39 7 MENTOR fiiam 531 ATTORNEY 5 United States Patent F 3,105,248 COMBINATION OUTBOARD RUNABOUT AND CABIN CRUISER Wiliiam C. Ferrell, San Antonio, Tex. Filed June 13, 1962, Ser. No. 202,156 7 Claims. (Cl. 9-2) This invention relates to boats and has more particular reference to a combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser.

One object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a boat construction, as characterized above, made up of an outboard runabout section and a cabin cruiser section which is detachably secured to the runabout section.

Another object of the invention is to provide a boat construction, as characterized above, in which the cabin cruiser section is easily and quickly mounted on and removed from the runabout section.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will appear in the following specification when considered in connection with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser constructed in accordance with the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional View of the boat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a stern end view of the boat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary plan view of the aft portion of the boat shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view taken on the line 55 of FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the runabout with the cabin section removed; and

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the clamp-type fastener shown in FIG. 5.

Referring now to the drawings, there is illustrated, in FIGS. 1 to 6, inclusive, one embodiment of a combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser constructed in accordance with the present invention. As there shown, the construction comprises a runabout, indicated generally at 10, adapted to have an outboard motor mounted on its stern and a cabin superstructure, indicated generally at 11, readily detachably mounted on the runabout, transforming it into a cabin cruiser.

The runabout 10 (see FIG. 1) may be of any suitable usual construction having the usual type of wrap-around windshield 12 and deck section 13 forward of its cockpit 14 having a hinged athwartship seat 15 over an air tank having a hinged back 16, port and starboard side seats 17, 17, respectively over the usual air tanks, and provision for a suitable usual type outboard motor to be hingedly mounted on the stem. The hull 18 is preferably constructed of .050 gauge hard aluminum with all of the seams and joints heliarc welded. Ribs 19 in the form of aluminum channel members, are spot welded, approximately 15" apart, to the hull and the bottom of the aft section is preferably slightly corrugated to strengthen the flattened section at the transom. The hull is provided with a gunnel 20 which acts as a spray shield when the boat is used as a runabout. The gunnel 20 is a flat out wardly extending member which acts as a male member cooperating with a female member carried by the cabin structure when the two structures are assembled to change the runabout into a cabin cruiser in a manner hereinafter to be described.

The cabin superstructure 11, as shown, comprises a boat top or canopy section 21 having sliding port and 3,165,248 Fatented Oct. 1, 1963 ice starboard side windows 22, 22, respectively, a wraparound windshield 23, a forward deck 24 extending aft past the cabin windows, port and starboard step-down steps 25, 25', and port and starboard side strakes 26, 27, respectively. The peripheral edges of the side strakes 26, 27, are provided with a -shaped flange 28 which has a -shaped rubber gasket 29 cemented to its inner surface. The flange 28 acts as a female member in which the outer edge portion of the male flange member 20 forming the gunnel of the runabout is received when the two sections are secured together. The after ends of the strake members 26, 27 are provided with hinged transom members 39, 31, respectively. As shown the hinged members 30, 31 do not extend completely across the stern, leaving an open space between them for the outboard motor.

When the cabin structure is to be mounted on the runabout structure, the -shaped flange 28 with its -shaped rubber gasket 29 is placed around the outer edge portion of the gunnel 29, then the after ends of the cabin structure are spaced apart sufliciently for the -shaped flange 28 on the bottom edge of the cabin structure to be slid over the outer edge portion 20 of the runabout. This makes a watertight seam, indicated at 3'2, joining the two sections together. Obviously, the wrap-around windshield of the runabout is taken off before the two parts are assembled.

After the cabin structure has been mounted on the runabout structure, as outlined above, it is rigidly secured thereon by a plurality of clamp-type fasteners 33 which are mounted on the inner edge portion of the gunnel 18 of the runabout and are spaced about two feet apart.

While any suitable type of clamp fastener may be used, the particular type of fastener shown comprises a support 34 spot welded to the bulkhead of the cabin section having a hand lever 35 pivotally connected thereto and a hook member 36 pivotally and eccentrically connected to the hand lever 35 (see FIG. 7). The outer free end of the hook member 36 is adapted to hook over the inner peripheral edge of the gunnel 20 of the runabout section so that as the hand lever 35 is pushed upward against the bulkhead of the cabin section it will draw the gunnel 20 into the flange 28 and hold them tightly together. As the eccentric pivotal connection of the hook member goes back past center the fastener will stay tightly closed (see FIG. 5).

From the foregoing it readily will be seen that there has been provided a novel and improved combination runabout and cabin cruiser made up of a runabout section and a cabin cruiser section detachably secured thereon in such a manner as to facilitate the separation of the two sections in a very short time; a structure which permits the use of an outboard runabout suitable for all types of inland water and, when the cabin section has been attached, the runabout converts into a cabin cruiser suitable for coastal or open water.

Obviously, the invention is not restricted to the particular embodiment thereof herein shown and described.

What is claimed is:

1. A combination outboard runabout and cabin cruiser comprising an outboard runabout section including a hull having a cockpit formed therein, a forward deck, and a flat flange-like spray rail gunnel; a cabin section detachably mounted on said runabout section including a cabin structure provided with sliding side windows and a wraparound windshield, a forward deck extending aft along the sides of the cabin structure, and port and starboard side strakes coextensive in length with the sides of the runabout; and means detachably securing the cabin section to the runabout section including cooperating male and female securing members carried by the runabout section and the cabin section.

2. The boat structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the means detachably securing the cabin section to the runabout section includes an inwardly opening -shaped flange formed around the bottom edge of the side strakes of the cabin section forming a female securing unit in which is received the gunnel of the runabout section which forms the male securing unit.

3. The boat structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the after ends of the port and starboard side strakes of the cabin section have transom forming members hingedly mounted thereon.

4. The boat structure as set forth in claim 2, wherein the -shaped flange formed around the bottom edge of the side strakes of the cabin section has a -shaped gasket secured therein for making the connecting seam securing the two sections together Water tight.

5. The boat structure as set forth in claim 1, wherein the runabout section is provided with a detachable Wrap- 4 around windshield adapted to be removed before the two sections are secured together.

6. The boat construction as set forth in claim 1, wherein the runabout section and the cabin section are made of aluminum and wherein the bottom of the after section of the hull is corrugated.

7. The boat construction as set forth in claim 2, wherein the male and female securing members are securely held together to form a Water-tight seam by a plurality of laterally spaced quick opening clamp-type fastening members.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,846,963 Grogan Feb. 23, 1932 2,251,621 Van Hoorn Aug. 5, 1941 2,916,004 Parr Dec. 8, 1959 3,021,535 Dorst Feb. 20, 1962 

1. A COMBINATION OUTBOARD RUNABOUT AND CABIN CRUISER COMPRISING AN OUTBOARD RUNABOUT SECTION INCLUDING A HULL HAVING A COCKPIT FORMED THEREIN, A FORWARD DECK, AND A FLAT FLANGE-LIKE SPRAY RAIL GUNNEL; A CABIN SECTION DETACHABLY MOUNTED ON SAID RUNABOUT SECTION INCLUDING A CABIN STRUCTURE PROVIDED WITH SLIDING SIDE WINDOWS AND A WRAPAROUND WINDSHIELD, A FORWARD DECK EXTENDING AFT ALONG THE SIDES OF THE CABIN STRUCTURE, AND PORT AND STARBOARD SIDE STRAKES COEXTENSIVE IN LENGTH WITH THE SIDES OF THE RUNABOUT; AND MEANS DETACHABLY SECURING THE CABIN SECTION TO THE RUNABOUT SECTION INCLUDING COOPERATING MALE AND FEMALE SECURING MEMBERS CARRIED BY THE RUNABOUT SECTION AND THE CABIN SECTION. 